City Lights Booksonixsuitesupport@onixsuite.com20171017engCOM.ONIXSUITE.97808728652730301City Lights Books020872865274039780872865273159780872865273BC01City Lights Open MediaB09Greg RuggieroRuggiero, GregGregRuggiero01Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by HimselfA New Critical Edition by Angela Y. Davis01GCOI872861001290201A01Frederick DouglassDouglass, FrederickFrederickDouglass<p>American abolitionist, women's suffragist, author, statesman and reformer, Douglass is one of the most prominent figures in African-American history and U.S. history. His Narrative is a cornerstone of African American literature.</p>2A01Angela Y. DavisDavis, Angela Y.Angela Y.Davis<p>Through her activism and her scholarship over the last decades, Angela Y. Davis has been deeply involved in our nation's quest for social justice. Her work as an educator – both at the university level and in the larger public sphere – has always emphasized the importance of building communities of struggle for economic, racial, and gender equality.<br /> <br /> Professor Davis' teaching career has taken her to San Francisco State University, Mills College, and UC Berkeley. She has also taught at UCLA, Vassar, the Claremont Colleges, and Stanford University. She spent the last fifteen years at the University of California Santa Cruz where she is now Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness, an interdisciplinary Ph.D program, and of Feminist Studies.<br /> <br /> Angela Davis is the author of eight books and has lectured throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America. In recent years a persistent theme of her work has been the range of social problems associated with incarceration and the generalized criminalization of those communities that are most affected by poverty and racial discrimination. She draws upon her own experiences in the early seventies as a person who spent eighteen months in jail and on trial, after being placed on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List." She has also conducted extensive research on numerous issues related to race, gender and imprisonment. Her most recent books are <em>Abolition Democracy </em>and<em> Are Prisons Obsolete?</em> about the abolition of the prison industrial complex, and a new edition of <em>Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass</em>.</p> <p>Angela Davis is a founding member Critical Resistance, a national organization dedicated to the dismantling of the prison industrial complex. Internationally, she is affiliated with Sisters Inside, an abolitionist organization based in Queensland, Australia that works in solidarity with women in prison.</p> <p>Like many other educators, Professor Davis is especially concerned with the general tendency to devote more resources and attention to the prison system than to educational institutions. Having helped to popularize the notion of a "prison industrial complex," she now urges her audiences to think seriously about the future possibility of a world without prisons and to help forge a 21st century abolitionist movement.</p>01eng256002560320african american;american history;race relations;Racism;slavery24Internet CL HierarchyBiography/Memoir24Internet CL HierarchyEssays24Internet CL HierarchyPolitics24Internet CL HierarchyAfrican American Writing03<p>A masterpiece of African American literature, Frederick Douglass's <em>Narrative</em> is the powerful story of an enslaved youth coming into social and moral consciousness by disobeying his white slavemasters and secretly teaching himself to read. Achieving literacy emboldens Douglass to resist, escape, and ultimately achieve his freedom. After escaping slavery, Douglass became a leader in the anti-slavery and women's rights movements, a bestselling author, and U.S. diplomat.</p>
<p>In this new critical edition, legendary activist and feminist scholar Angela Davis sheds new light on the legacy of Frederick Douglass. In two philosophical lectures originally delivered at UCLA in autumn 1969, Davis focuses on Douglass's intellectual and spiritual awakening, and the importance of self-knowledge in achieving freedom from all forms of oppression. With detailed attention to Douglass's text, she interrogates the legacy of slavery and shares timeless lessons about oppression, resistance, and freedom. And in an extended introductory essay written for this edition, Davis comments on previous editions of the <em>Narrative</em> and re-examines Douglass through a contemporary feminist perspective. An important new edition of an American classic.</p>
<p>"Angela Y. Davis presents a long overdue examination of Douglass' work not just from the perspective of a woman but one of the most provocative and profound minds of the last half century. It is my sincere hope that this City Lights edition of <em>The Narrative </em>will inspire researchers and individuals to take a closer look at the tremendous degree of influence Anna Murray Douglass had in the life and the career of her husband and my great-great-great grandfather." —Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., Great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and Great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington<br />
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"Davis' arguments for justice are formidable . . . The power of her historical insights and the sweetness of her dream cannot be denied." —<em>New York Times Book Review</em></p>
<p>"Long before 'race/gender' became the obligatory injunction it is now, Angela Davis was developing an analytical framework that brought all of these factors into play. For readers who only see Angela Davis as a public icon . . . meet the real Angela Davis: perhaps the leading public intellectual of our era." —Robin D. G. Kelley author of <em>Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original</em></p>
<p>"One of America's last truly fearless public intellectuals."<em> —</em>Cynthia McKinney, Former U.S. Democratic Congresswoman</p>
<p>"Angela Davis's revolutionary spirit is still strong. Still with us, thank goodness!" —<em>Virginian-Pilot</em></p>
<p>"There was a time in America when to call a person an 'abolitionist' was the ultimate epithet. It evoked scorn in the North and outrage in the South. Yet they were the harbingers of things to come. They were on the right side of history. Prof. Angela Y. Davis stands in that proud, radical tradition." —Mumia Abu-Jamal, author of <em>Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners v. the U.S.A.</em></p>
<p>"Behold the heart and mind of Angela Davis, open, relentless, and on time!" —June Jordan</p>
<p>"The enormous revolution in Black consciousness which has occurred in your generation, my dear sister, means the beginning or the end of America. Some of us, white and Black, know how great a price has already been paid to bring into existence a new consciousness, a new people in an unprecedented nation. If we know, and do nothing, we are worse than the murderers hired in our name. If we know, then we must fight for your life as though it were our own—which it is—and render impassable with our bodies the corridor to the gas chamber. For, if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night." —James Baldwin<br />
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"Angela Davis has stood as a courageous voice of conscience on matters of race, class, and gender in America." —David Theo Goldberg, <em>The Racial State</em></p>
<p>"Angela Davis offers a cartography of engagement in oppositional social movements and unwavering commitment to justice." —Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Women's Studies, Hamilton College</p>
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<p></p>02A new edition of the African American masterpiece featuring critical essays by Angela Y. Davis08<p> "Just as Douglass was dedicated to abolishing the institution that imprisoned him and his people, Davis is dedicated to abolishing the institution that imprisoned her and still imprisons millions of Americans, mostly people of color: the modern American prison system." -- H. Bruce Franklin</p>African American Review0701http://whosemedia.com/drums/2010/02/15/book-review-frederick-douglass-as-seen-by-the-eyes-of-angela-davis/Drums in the Global Village08<p>"The two pioneering feminists [Davis and Douglass] merge together, in theory and in practice, on the nature(s) of liberation. In this book of merged centuries, freedom travels from idea to action (creating resistance) to finally, negotiating a complex reality. Davis, in 2009: 'Many of us thought [in the 1960s and 1970s] that liberation was simply a question of organizing to leverage power from the hands of those we deemed to be the oppressors.' An idea whose time has gone in the Obama era, one in which, supposedly, the ultimate power has been leveraged, but from whom and for what? This new version of an old book is a perfect excuse to analyze (Douglass' and Davis') views of freedom as we continue to debate the Black movement's purpose in the second decade of the new century."</p>Drums in the Global Village0701http://whyaminotsurprised.blogspot.com/2010/09/narrative-about-narrative.htmlRebecca Hensley, Changeseeker08<p>"The bottom line is that Frederick Douglass' narrative should be required reading for every person in the United States. But more to the point, it should be on the bookshelf in every home in America. The passion, the beauty, and the truth of Douglass' work is such that it calls into question not only the peculiar institution of slavery, but the ongoing acceptance of White Supremacy as the default position in this nation today." —Rebecca Hensley, Changeseeker</p>Rebecca Hensley, Changeseeker0701http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/choice/index.cfmChoice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries08<p>"This edition of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass contains two previously unpublished 'Lectures on Liberation' by Angela Davis, delivered at the start of her controversial appointment at UCLA in 1969… An introduction Davis wrote in 2009 adds a look back at the lectures and speculates about the continuing relevance of Douglass’ text. Davis’ lectures apply methods from Hegelian and Marxist philosophy to an analysis of alienation, freedom, resistance, and liberation in the life of the slave, while her introduction focuses more on recent feminist readings critiquing Douglass… [providing] an interesting window onto the intellectual landscape of the 1960s. . . .Recommended. All levels/Libraries." - G. Jay</p>Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries0701http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ibw/mar_10.htm#BlackStudiesThe Midwest Book Review08<p>"Being an educated man of color was a true anomaly in his day. <em>Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Written By Himself</em> discusses Douglass's famous autobiography as Angela Y. Davis offers much studious insight on the matters she examines Douglass's writings and how the man embraced intellectualism and spirituality to pull himself out of his subservient life in a society that thought of him as an animal. <em>Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass</em> is a must for anyone trying to get a greater understanding of the black icon."</p>The Midwest Book Review0701http://www.colorlines.com/article.php?ID=683Colorlines08<p>". . . the newly released <em>Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself: A New Critical Edition</em> (City Lights Books) brings together two of the great philosophical writers and racial justice activists of the last two centuries and combines the deeply personal writings of Frederick Douglass with several politically charged lectures given by Angela Y. Davis in the early 1970s. . . . Even for those who have never studied either writer in depth, Davis explores the many ways we can interpret Douglass's anti-slavery writing today and draws parallels between the continued oppression of women and prisoners. . . . The breadth of Davis's work in the past two decades is an inspiring example of bridge-building across causes and generations. That her contemporary activism can be coupled so flawlessly with Douglass’s historic writings and powerful legacy speaks to the importance of their combined influence spanning centuries. . . . At a time when the freedoms once granted by the Fourteenth Amendment are now being applied to corporate entities, cannabilizing the legacy of freed slaves in the United States, this book — Davis’s call for a more engaged electorate — is wonderfully timely and deeply engaging." <br /> — Brittany Shoot</p>Colorlines0701http://whosemedia.com/drums/2010/02/15/book-review-frederick-douglass-as-seen-by-the-eyes-of-angela-davis/Todd S. Burroughs08<p>"[Davis] uses Douglass to examine the philosophy of freedom. . . . [She] dissects Douglass' strengths and pitfalls of how he defined freedom — a definition that, Davis explains, leaves enslaved women behind as symbols of oppression, unable to achieve the "manhood" Douglass equates with his liberation. . . . The two pioneering feminists merge together, in theory and in practice, on the nature(s) of liberation. In this book of merged centuries, freedom travels from idea to action (creating resistance) to finally, negotiating a complex reality." </p>Todd S. Burroughs0701http://www.regalmag.com/review-angela-davis-honors-hero-frederick-douglass-book-a-418.htmlRegal Magazine08<p>"In her most diplomatic method, Davis proves what I never realized until now: The Black American slave era was not so much about Blacks and slavery as it was about the state of all humanity. . . . Davis shows in this very compelling volume that Frederick Douglass was simply a man. And what all men and women were meant to be . . . free." <br /> —Judith Brown</p>Regal Magazine0701http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-ayers-/emfrederick-douglassem-an_b_422151.htmlHuffington Post08<p>"Douglass' description of his life in slavery, his resistance, and his flight to freedom could not be more timely or more meaningful to students. At a time when education officials are wringing their hands about how difficult it is to teach black students literacy, Douglass demonstrates how the struggle for literacy has always been a part of the struggle for liberation. . . . This is where Angela Davis injects her considerable insight. Her introduction connects Douglass' critique to the struggles for liberation in the 60's and 70's, demonstrating the same courage, audacity, and clarity of vision that was required to see through and defy the slave system." <br /> —Rick Ayers</p>Huffington Post2301http://www.citylights.com/resources/titles/87286100129020/extras/NarrativeBOOKfinal_excerpts.pdf44<p>Inspired by the catalytic role pamphlet publishing has played throughout American history, Greg Ruggiero founded the Open Media Series in 1991 as an act of war protest, as well as an act of solidarity with social movements promoting greater freedom, justice, and democracy.</p> <p>Over the years, Ruggiero has published some of the most outspoken scholars, social justice advocates, artists, and dissidents of our time, including Noam Chomsky, Angela Y. Davis, Howard Zinn, Arundhati Roy, Ralph Nader, Alice Walker, Manning Marable, Tanya Reinhart, John Cage, Keith Haring, Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, Daniel Ellsberg, Michio Kaku, Helen Caldicott, Bill Ayers, Subcomandante Marcos, and the Dalai Lama.</p> <p>In the spring of 2006, Ruggiero joined the ranks of the City Lights editorial team. The launch of the City Lights Open Media Series marked a new chapter in the publishing of intelligent, inspiring, and potentially radicalizing books. Among the recent and forthcoming titles in the series are <em>A Power Governments Cannot Suppress</em> by Howard Zinn; <em>Spying on Democracy </em>by Heidi Boghosian; <em>A New Critical Edition of Frederick Douglass's Narrrative of a Slave</em> by Angela Y. Davis; <em>Dying to Live</em> by Joseph Nevins; <em>Mexico Unconquered</em> by John Gibler; Mumia Abu-Jamal's <em>Writing on the Wall,</em> edited by Johanna Fernandez; <em>Learning to Die in the Anthropocene</em> by Roy Scranton; and <em>Because We Say So</em> by Noam Chomsky. "The heart of a functioning democracy is public engagement, communication, and intelligence," says Ruggiero. "The mission of the series is to increase all three."</p> <hr size="1" width="auto" /> <p></p> <p><strong>PRAISE FOR THE OPEN MEDIA SERIES</strong></p> <p></p> <hr size="1" width="auto" /> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width=""> <tbody> <tr> <td> <center><a href="file:http://www.fdfi.org/wp-content/uploads/greg_ruggiero1.jpg"><strong><img alt="Greg Ruggiero" border="0" height="150" src="http://www.fdfi.org/wp-content/uploads/greg_ruggiero1.jpg" width="148" /></strong></a><img alt="" /><br /> <a href="http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100848690&fa=author&Person_ID=7303&PublisherGCOICode=87286"><font size="1"><em>See a bio for Greg Ruggiero</em></font></a><font size="1"><em>, founder of the Open Media series</em></font></center> </td> <td>"An operation out to change the world" –Evelyn Nieves, <em>The New York Times</em><br /> <br /> "Like Tom Paine or Martin Luther, the Open Pamphlet Series desperately wants to create democratic debate by providing timely snippets of information and analysis that the empire would just as soon suppress. They're a quick read, and in a time of intellectual as well as political crisis, they put serious information into the hands and minds of a needy public… 'Public intelligence is power,' says Ruggiero, and he's determined to disseminate both." –James Ledbetter, <em>The Village Voice</em><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6306764.html?text=greg+ruggiero" target="_blank">Top Editor to City Lights</a> | <em>Publishers Weekly</em><br /> by Bridget Kinsella<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/multipage/documents/02740726.htm" target="_blank">"Peace on the Page"</a> | <em>The Boston Phoenix</em><br /> by Christopher Dreher<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA296856.html?pubdate=5%2F5%2F2003&display=archive" target="_blank">"The Accidental Bestseller"</a> | <em>Publishers Weekly</em><br /> by Christopher Dreher<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6259823.html" target="_blank">"Indie Presses to Rush Out Cindy Sheehan Titles"</a> | <em>Publishers Weekly</em><br /> by Bridget Kinsella</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p></p>3501http://www.nypl.org/audiovideo/angela-davis-and-toni-morrison-literacy-libraries-and-liberation?nref=90281080201http://www.citylights.com/resources/persons/8913.gif02http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100129020City Lights Publishers01City Lights Publishers042010020320100816oz08454gr07631-760XConsortium Book Sales & Distribution612/746-2600612/746-2606info@cbsd.com33www.cbsd.comhttp://www.cbsd.com03WORLD200112.95USD